A glimpse into our life with epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

Epcot

I’m a little late with this post, but there’s been a lot of things going on behind the scenes. It’s been a struggle to find the time to write, but I’m going to try to post more, I promise! I also think my biggest struggle for this was that there was so much that had happened, it was hard to write and have it make sense. I feel like it’s all over the place. But here’s my attempt!:

Travel

With our bags all packed, we had to be ready to go early Tuesday morning for pickup. Only slight dilemma with this was that we took Colleen’s wheelchair (vs. stroller) for transportation, and it was interesting getting it to fit in a limo, but thankfully, it did!

Colleen (and momma’s!) first limo ride!

I tried to pack as lightly as possible, besides Colleen’s bed, it was just carry-ons’, but I did pack an extra duffel bag for clothes in hopes that any souvenirs would fit in the carryon cases. I think it all worked out in the end. Colleen’s bed, and a few extras, weighed 54Ibs, so I was a little worried about the fee, but JetBlue was awesome!

Make-a-wish gives you a letter that asks if you can meet the captain and see the cockpit.

I told Colleen not to push any buttons! She seemed to be taking it all in. It was a neat experience and she even got wings!

We didn’t bring her car seat this time. It was cumbersome and I’m so glad you didn’t. She was able to sit properly and I felt better that it gave her more room.

Arrival

We arrived in Orlando about 50 minutes ahead of schedule were welcomed by two Make-a-wish greeters. They help you get your luggage and rentals and make that process truly stress-free. I really wish I had gotten photos with them! We were given snacks, water, they helped even helped us load up our rental.

If you even go to Disney and drive, bring $1’s and quarters! That was a vital piece of information we were given and I’m glad because otherwise we’d be pulled over on the side of the road, panicking because we had no change.

If you have a Disney trip for Make-a-wish, you get to stay at the Give Kids the World Village. The amount of things to do here alone were enough to fill a trip!

Before arriving, I thought for sure we’d be ready to explore when we got there, but it was actually nice to relax a little after traveling.

Give Kids the World Village is it’s own little bit of magic while you’re staying there. We unfortunately didn’t get to do everything while we were there, but they have a carousel, pools, movie theatre and so much else. I think one of my personal favorites was the Castle of Miracles. Colleen was able to write a wish on a star, and then they placed it amount 130,000 other stars on the ceiling. It was beautiful and amazing to think about all the children who have been there to make a wish.

Disney: Magic Kingdom

The next day, I let Colleen wake up on her own and we ate breakfast at the village. This was essentially seeing how she would do in the heat, so I didn’t want to wake her and risk Myoclonic jerks. It’s only about a 20 minute drive from the village.

Obligatory photo

I think the biggest challenge we faced while here was the heat. We had a fan attached the the back of her wheelchair, but as you can tell, she didn’t care for the heat. It’s good to know that if you need it, there’s a resting place for you to go, but I believe it was only at Epcot.

Colleen rode the Dumbo ride, her very first!

It kind of became the schedule; a few hours at a park, back to GKTW for afternoon nap, then head back out. It was a lot of driving, but the best option for Colleen.

We came back to Epcot that night to watch the fireworks, and I wish I had the words t describe it. This was also her first time watching fireworks, and I may have gotten a little emotional. The smile and look of wonder on her face was enough to fill my heart.

Sitting to wait! I kind of wish everyone stayed seated for the show, but I was able to put Colleen on my shoulders.

Day 2: Epcot

This was the visit I was so excited for Colleen for. Thankfully she was up early, and we got breakfast to go. I wanted to get to the park as early as possible so I could find Anna and Elsa. We got there right when the opened and I practically ran to get her to where they were supposed to be. When you get to the Norway part of Epcot, you go inside the shop, and when we were brought back to where they were, I may have gotten a little emotional (even right now as I write this.) Since Colleen is non-verbal, she can’t tell be how she feels, but the look on her face was absolutely priceless.

Showing Anna our shoes! They wanted to get a paid for Olaf!

After meeting the princesses, Colleen rode her next ride, Frozen Ever After, which happened to be water log flume ride. (Had to hide her hearing aids so the didn’t get wet!) Thankfully, not a lot of water, but I think she loved it.

Oddly, parts of the Epcot world were roped off beyond Norway, so we made our way to find lunch and then back to GKTW for her nap!

Part 2 coming soon!

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About

Designer, Photographer and writer in the making. Lover of coffee, (dreaming of) travel and finding beauty in everyday things.Search for: